Descent into Avernus — Session #2
The session ended with the party battered, grieving, and leveling up to five in the basement beneath the villa. Elowena's death was permanent, a harsh reminder of the dangers of the descent into Avernus. The survivors looted the cultists' bodies, finding golden devil-faced masks and a glowing mace that could prove useful for infiltration or combat. The party's survival was a testament to their resilience, but the cost was high, and the road ahead promised only more peril. Nick began planning a backup character, while the rest of the party regrouped, knowing that the cult of the Dead Three and the infernal forces of Avernus would not rest.
The party's long rest in the basement beneath the villa was shattered when Aun, on watch, detected four intelligent creatures approaching the door. He woke the others with whispered warnings and a toe in the ribs, and as the door was thrown open, combat erupted. The first enemy hurled a ball of fire at Elowena, which she blocked with her shield, while Aun moved into the doorway, cleaving at one enemy. Aun joked about shaking hands aggressively, and Sam muttered, "Bitches love cannons," as the party braced for a fight they were not prepared for.
The battle turned brutal when a dying cultist, knocked prone by Elowena's quarterstaff trip, uttered an Infernal incantation that summoned a second barbed devil into the fray. The new devil immediately cast a Wall of Fire that cut through the room, splitting the party and forcing them to choose between severe burns or facing the devil directly. Gorak used Wither and Bloom to damage multiple enemies and heal Sam, while Aun missed with Chromatic Orb and repositioned through the flames. The cultist leader shouted, "Take them alive!" revealing their intent to capture rather than kill. But the party was badly outmatched: front-liners were down, spell slots were depleted, and the Wall of Fire left them trapped on the wrong side of the flames.
The climax came in the seventh round. Sam's spell backfired, dealing critical damage to himself and giving the barbed devil an opportunity to stab him through the heart with its tail, knocking him unconscious. Elowena, already dying from fire damage, failed her death saves and died permanently. Aun disengaged and fled through the fire, saying, "Less scared of fire than I am of that fucking monstrosity." Gorak used Relentless Endurance and Warrior of the Gods to stay in the fight, but was repeatedly knocked down. Just as all seemed lost, the barbed devil vanished in a puff of sulfur and brimstone as its summoning duration expired. The cultists were all dead, and the party was left battered but alive—except for Elowena, whose body lay still. Aun gently touched everyone to stabilize them, and Gorak poured healing potions into Elowena's face, but it was too late. The party looted the cultists' bodies, finding four golden devil-faced masks and a well-made mace that shed light in a 10-foot radius. They leveled up to five, gaining new abilities, but the cost was high. Nick accepted his character's death and began planning a backup, while the survivors regrouped, knowing the descent into Avernus would only get harder.
The dying cultist's Infernal incantation summoned a second barbed devil, turning a manageable fight into a desperate last stand and showing the cult's fanatical willingness to sacrifice themselves.
The Wall of Fire split the party, forcing them to choose between burning or facing the devil directly, and made ranged attacks nearly impossible, creating a tactical nightmare.
Sam's spell backfired, dealing critical damage to himself and giving the barbed devil an opportunity attack that stabbed him through the heart, knocking him unconscious in a cruel twist of fate.
Aun's dark humor—'If you don't say anything, that means consent'—lightened the mood as she stabilized the party by touching them, showing her character's resilience and wit.
The barbed devil's summoning duration expired just as the party was on the brink of total defeat, a dramatic and bittersweet reprieve that left them alive but mourning Elowena.
This chronicle was generated by Kazkar from a live D&D session.
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